


6 months

by Reneeyanceywriter



Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms
Genre: Birthday, Gen, Having Faith, Writing Exercise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 21:41:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15693918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reneeyanceywriter/pseuds/Reneeyanceywriter
Summary: Six months. It seems to be their personal timeline. It was six months from the blind date where they meet and the day of their wedding. Exactly six months later the stick shows blue and they find out they are to be parents. And then on their first anniversary.....





	6 months

Six months. It seems to be their personal timeline. It was six months from the blind date where they meet and the day of their wedding. Exactly six months later the stick shows blue and they find out they are to be parents. And then on their first anniversary..

"Ye are so beautiful Claire."   
She laughs nervously running her hands over the front of the maternity dress. She feels huge and awkward and has three months to go.  
"I am huge."  
"Nah, ye are pregnant. Ye are glowing. Crips Claire, ye are a walking miracle. Carrying and nuturing new life. Our bairn."  
Oh but he always knows what to say. "Thank you Jamie. I love you so."  
"As I do you. Are ye ready?" They are going out to dinner and a show for their anniversary. Followed by him bringing her home and showing her just how beautiful she is to him. But..

"Yes." She says with a smile. She picks up her purse and then frowns. Her hands drift to her front gently touching their child.  
"Claire what is it?"  
"I think.." Her statement is interrupted by a soft pop deep in her. And a whoosh of water as the sea smell of her amniotic fluid fills the air. "Labor. I am in labor."  
"But it is only six months!"  
"Tell Faith. She seems in a hurry." She then burst into tears.

The next few hours are a nightmare. With the waters breaking there is no way to stop the labor. The doctor pushs fluids and steroids to try to mature Faith's lungs as much as she can. Claire lays in the hospital bed holding tight to her husband's hand. She hears him praying in Gailec. She is to numb to do anything but whisper' please God' over and over in her head as the pains that will bring her daughter into the world way to early crest over her.  
"Time to push."  
"No! No! I can not. She isn't ready yet!"  
"I know," the doctor's voice is soothing," I know Claire. But it is way to late to stop it and NICU awaits her. You have to let her come."  
"Please Claire. We must give her to the doctor's and God's care." Jamie pleads from her head.  
Their pleading and her body's insistent need to birth her overwhelm her. She freely cries as she bears down. 

She remembers every secound. The welcome numbing as her wee head hits and burst through the last barrier. The feel of Jamie's hands holding her steady. The doctor's Irish's accent thickening as she encouraging her. The sounds of the NICU team in the background as they prepare to receive her. The scent of her own sweat as she labours to see her daughter born. The feel of her head slipping out. The sound of her ' hehe' breaths as she strains not to push as Faith's mouth and nose was cleaned out. And the greatest sound that of their daughter's first gasping breath and her soft but strong first cry.  
"She is alive!" Jamie cries from his seat beside her.  
"She is. Let us get her evaluated and cleaned some and you and Claire can see her before we take her off."  
"Oh Faith Elizabeth Janet Fraser." She whispers in awe to her wee lass. She has her da's red hair and slanted eyes. Her lips and nose. His ears. Her startled blue eyes seek her out. "I know. I am so sorry baby. You have a long fight ahead of you. But your da and I.." She breaks then. Tears roll down her face.  
"Yer mam and I will be here. Ye are not alone. Not ever. And ye are a fighter with yer grandma's and Auntie's names. Ye can do this. Yer mam and I love ye so."

And was it a fight. She was put on oxygen. Was stuck with a ton of needles. Jamie winces when he sees them. Blood is drawn and urine collected. She is put under a warming lamp to treat jaundice. Her heart and breathing are monitored. And this is just day one.  
She gains and loses weight. Claire pumps milk and it is feed through a tube. She gets an infection in one of her IV sites. The antibiotics give her a horrid diaper rash. Her fever raises and her tiny body starts to shut down. Her parents and the doctor's and nurses discuss letting her go. That was the first month.  
She stabilizes and starts to regain the weight she had lost. They start kangeroo care. Claire treasures the memory of how it feels to have her daughter skin to skin against her. Especially when she gets yet another infection and touch outside of with gloved hands is forbidden. That is month two.  
Month three sees her make two pounds and a small celebration is held. Kangeroo care is restarted and Jamie also gets to hold his daughter against his bare chest. They test her for the suck reflex. It is still absent so Claire continues to pump.  
Month four sees an emergency with her heart. A previously unknown hole between her right and left ventricle necessitates surgery. Faith goes under at the weight of only two pounds and six ounces. Her parents are frantic.  
She comes out after a few hours. She is doing real well, they are told. It should help her gain weight. They are also told. Once she recovers. And it does. After a week where she cries the strange soundless way of an infant on oxygen, she settles. Kangeroo care is restarted and she gains two more ounces by her fourth month.

"Let's try nursing." The nurse greets Claire in the middle of that month.  
"Really!"  
"Yes. She finally has a suck reflex."   
Claire's hands and chest is scrubbed and wee Faith carefully directed to her mam's nipple. After a bit of adjusting she finally takes it.  
"Oh wow!" She whispers as Faith lazily suckles. Her milk finaly lets down and Faith's eyes get wide with amazement. She starts to swallow and her mam and the nurses cry. It is a huge milestone. From that moment Claire is at the hospital every few hours nursing her.

It makes a huge difference. By the time she is five months she is a hair away from four pounds. She only needs the oxygen when she sleeps. She almost looks like a real newborn. Her little face starts to fill out. She has a tiny belly.  
"Five pounds. That is the goal. She can ve released when she hits five pounds." Knowing the goal, Claire redoubles her efforts. She only eats nutritious stuff knowing what she eats is what her daughter eats. Jamie, in anticipation of his daughter's homecoming, converts part of their room into a temporary nursery. They know she will have to be close for quite awhile.

Month six

They awaited with baited breath as Faith is placed on the table that weighs her.   
"Five pound one ounce." The nurse announces.  
"Ah Dhai!" Her da prays in thankfulness.  
"We can take her home?" Claire confirms.  
They can. She is dressed in the first of her real clothes. She is placed in the car seat and Jamie adjusts the straps with shaken hands. They go home with their daughter and a ton of medical equipment. Faith goes home on an apnea monitor and oxygen. But she goes home!  
"It had to be six months." Claire says as they watch their daughter sleep in her bassinet.  
"Huh?"  
"She is six months old today. The important things in our live happen at the six month mark. Six months after we meet we married," she says as she starts to tick them off on her fingers," then six months later she was on the way. Born in the six month. And then came home at six months."  
"Oh aye. I never ken'd."  
"Yes. It is always six with us."  
"As long as it stays us. Ye, me, and she."  
"It will. She is home now."  
"Aye." And they watch her sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> The loss of Faith always got to me. Wanted to do a Faith lives' story. Gotham's Writing Workshop provided the opportunity.


End file.
